AIXTRON SE, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of deposition systems for the semiconductor industry, today announced that it has acquired privately held Silicon Valley-based PlasmaSi, Inc. effective 1 April 2015. The purchase price is US $16 million and will be paid in cash.

Acuity Brands and Key Equipment Finance announced that the two companies have teamed up to provide flexible financing solutions to qualified Acuity Brands customers converting to energy-efficient LED lighting and installing smart lighting networks. Key Equipment Finance is one of the largest bank-held equipment finance companies in the U.S. and an affiliate of KeyCorp.

LEDinside recently interviewed Kevin Lucido, Director of Global Marketing Communications at Lumileds, Philips, about the company’s business and technology developments after Go Scale Capital acquires the company.

LED grow light module markets at US $395 million in 2014 are forecast to reach $1.8 billion by 2021.  Rapid growth is anticipated as green house and plant factory growers find the LED grow lights improve agriculture, projected WinterGreen Research.

GO Scale Capital, an investment fund sponsored by GSR Ventures and Oak Investment Partners has announced today that it will acquire an 80.1% interest in Philips' combined LED components and Automotive lighting business, with Philips retaining the remaining 19.9%* interest. The transaction values the business at an enterprise value of approximately USD 3.3 billion. The transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2015, subject to closing conditions, including customary regulatory approvals.

Veeco Instruments announced Susan Wang has been nominated for appointment to its Board of Directors. Her appointment is subject to shareholder approval, which is being sought at Veeco’s 2015 annual meeting of stockholders, scheduled to occur on May 13, 2015.

By replacing inefficient incandescent bulbs with LEDs, India could save up to $7 billion per year, said the country’s Power Minister Piyush Goyal recently.

Shunfeng International Clean Energy Limited (SFCE) announced that it has signed an MOU with Lattice Power to acquire a 51% ownership stake in the company. SFCE's successful bid in Lattice Power is a milestone for the listed company as it transitions to become a global low carbon solutions provider. Lattice Power's gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon technology is exclusively patented worldwide, offering significant cost advantages compared to sapphire substrate technology LED. The partnership expands SFCE's portfolio and increases the profitability of the listed company.

Digital Lumens announced strategic expansions to its team, with Kaynam Hedayat joining as Vice President of Product Management, and Jason Hanna as Director of Software Products. These new executives will help Digital Lumens expand its lighting and energy management solution portfolio, which brings the benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) to commercial and industrial customers worldwide.

Backlight orders have eased this month, but will rebound in April, a UDN report cited Epistar Chairman B.J. Lee saying at Taiwan International Lighting Show (TILS) 2015.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal announced that Wells Lighting, a Korea-based light manufacturer, will locate its first North American headquarters in Millen, creating more than 200 jobs and investing $30 million into the project over the next two years.

Beleaguered Sharp will be shedding 10% of its workforce, and inject 200 billion Japanese Yen (US $1.66 billion) in a global restructure plan, reported Reuters and several other Japanese media including Nikkei.

HC Semitek reported exponential revenue growth during 2014 fiscal year, reported Chinese-media Sina.

Lunera® Lighting, a leader in lighting innovations accelerating the transformation to advanced LED technology, is pleased to announce it has selected Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA) Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) as its electronic data synchronization platform. Electronic data transfer makes it easier for Lunera to quickly connect with its own salesforce and customers for more effective business-to-business e-commerce.

Representatives from Everlight and Edison Opto have recently rebutted an earlier Digitimes report claiming the two companies were in acquisition talks.

In the ongoing Foshan Lighting deceptive financial lighting case, another 519 plaintiffs are now demanding compensation, reported Chinese media Sinai.

Samsung Electronics will be scaling up investments in LED chip business this year, specifically in silicon substrate based LED technology, according to a Money DJ report.

A chair member of listed Chinese LED manufacturer Zhejiang Yankon Group (Yankon) has recently resigned, stated the company in a recent press release.

Applied Ventures, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials and a leading corporate venture firm, announced today that it has participated in a Series B financing round for RayVio Corporation, an advanced UV LED solutions company developing proprietary semiconductor-based technology for manufacturing solid state ultraviolet (SSUV) LED products and applications. RayVio's patented technology is intended to enable large-scale adoption of UV LEDs for the industrial, digital health and consumer sectors, with a variety of applications to benefit society.

HC Semitek projected it will be incurring heavy losses from January 1 to March 31, according to a Chinese media Securities Time report.

Chinese startup Lattice Power has emerged as an unexpected bidder in the auction of Philips lighting component business, reported Reuters.

Nitride Solutions a developer and manufacturer of advanced nitride substrates for LEDs, lasers, and power electronics—announced today that it has successfully closed US $3 million in new funding as Hansol Chemical, Greenpoint Global Mittelstand Fund, and Silicon Pastures Angel Investment Network joined the company’s investor group. Funds will be used to expand production of the company’s aluminum nitride substrate offerings, as well as to accelerate market introduction of its high-performance thermal management coatings.

LED Source, North America’s leading LED lighting solutions provider, has made a name for itself as an industry leader by providing products and solutions that represent the latest in LED technology. Celebrating a decade in business, the company Entrepreneur Magazine rated as one of the top new franchises on its 2015 New Franchise list is now leveraging multiple partnerships with leading lighting companies like Philips and Ketra to expand its contributions to commercial LED lighting.

According to a TrendForce photovoltaic analyst’s understanding, financially struggling Sharp might not be withdrawing from the solar business after all.

As the lighting industry transits from traditional light sources to LEDs, Osram Licht, the world’s second largest lighting company, has responded by shifting its focus on service and maintenance business to maintain steady revenue growth, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

RayVio today announced that it has emerged from stealth mode and raised US $9.3 million in Series B funding, with new investors including Applied Ventures, Augment Ventures, New Ground Ventures and Tolero Ventures. Existing investors DCM Ventures and Capricorn Investment Group also contributed to the round. The capital will be used to accelerate RayVio's go-to-market strategy, grow its team, and enable mass adoption of UV LED solutions in the industrial, commercial and consumer sectors.

Gobal LED manufacturer Lighting Science Group Corporation announces the appointment today of Pete Rumsey as Executive Vice President of Business Development. Rumsey brings over two decades of proven commercial, marketing and operational experience to his new role. Reporting directly to Lighting Science CEO Ed Bednarcik, Pete will be working with the executive team to direct the company’s commercial business development ventures and bring Lighting Science’s innovative LED product assortment to the forefront of the global commercial market.

Lextar today announced its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014 financial report.

Leading Taiwanese LED manufacturers Epistar and Everlight reported declining revenues in February 2015, according to a report from CNA.

GaN Systems, a leading developer of gallium nitride power switching semiconductors, has announced the signing of a distribution deal with Seoul-based global group Websolus. Listed on the Korea New Exchange (KONEX), with 13 Branch Offices in Korea, China, & Thailand, Websolus specialises in three major business sectors: IT Consulting & Systems Integration for Power Grid, Water & Energy systems solutions for Global Infrastructure, and Procurement & Distribution for Electronic Components. \